Review: Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Honey Liqueur

Gotta say, Jack Daniel’s knows how to launch a product. The sample bottle of its new honey-and-whiskey liqueur came in a refrigerated box, for no particular reason — it certainly doesn’t need to be kept chilled at all times — except that it is intended to be served cold.

Well, it’s been in my fridge ever since. I figure if they’re going to go to that kind of trouble, I better do as I’m told.

Honey+whiskey liqueurs have been coming out in absurd quantities over the last few years, so it comes as no surprise that JD would get in the game. Its version is as credible as anyone else’s: Honey kills the whiskey, but the whiskey leaves its mark. JD’s 70 proof version is pretty light on the honey — this is more of a smooth bourbon than a syrupy liqueur — but the adulteration makes it clear what the aspiration is here: Rocks, after dinner, maybe an ingredient in a cocktail.

The palate offers more than just honey: There is wood, vanilla, lavender, and notable lemon character as the finish fades away. Charcoal touches come on as the finish disappears completely. As honey liqueurs go, this has a lot going on, and that’s, as they say, a good thing. Who would’ve thought that in the realm of honey liqueur, it would be Jack that came up with the best of the lot.